


around my head

by puptownfunk



Category: Bandom, Cobra Starship, The Academy Is...
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 09:50:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8051704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puptownfunk/pseuds/puptownfunk
Summary: Contrary to popular opinion, Gabe Saporta is 100% decisively, absolutely, no fucking way in hell or heaven or anyplace in between, at all in love with William Beckett.
 
(Or, in which Gabe is an idiot and William resembles a stick insect)





	around my head

Contrary to popular opinion, Gabe Saporta is 100% decisively, absolutely, no fucking way in hell or heaven or anyplace in between, at all in love with William Beckett. He is not, as Ryland so often tells him, bewitched by William’s long legs and devilish smile. 

And Sisky’s impersonation of him when he practices stand-up is so fucking off - he does not swoon whenever William walks into a room. 

He’s just caught off guard, that’s it. “William is tall and thin and sort of tree-colored,” he tells Mike. “Naturally, I think he’s a stick insect and react accordingly.”

“ _Naturally_ ,” Mike repeats, sipping his coffee for some added asshole effect. “Naturally, you fall over yourself and become incapable of speaking in complete sentences while spilling every single drink in a ten-mile radius.”

Gabe huffs. He forgot that Mike was a big jerk and chronic liar. “I don’t do that!” 

“Is that William?” Mike asks and, okay, admittedly, Gabe does end up on the floor with Mike’s coffee all over him. But, in his defense, Mike never specified William Beckett. Gabe may have been swooning but it was over William Shakespeare. Who totally could have discovered time travel and come to the future just to talk to Gabe. 

“Totally,” Mike agrees, grinning down at him. “William Shakespeare discovered time travel and came to Barrington High. The Globe Theatre of the suburban Chicago.”

Gabe scowls and ignores the hand Mike offers him.  

“You owe me five bucks, by the way,” Mike adds.

Like Gabe is giving Mike the Meanie any of his money.

 

 

Gabe is obviously not in love with William. That’s a fact. Which he has proven beyond a doubt. 

But he’s starting to think he might be a little bit in hate with William.

The thing is, William is super nice and all, but also, he’s really not nice at all. He purposely does things that get to Gabe. Little images that bombard his brain and play non-stop. 

Like, the other day in Calculus, William - who, inconveniently, sits right next to Gabe and has a very distracting and distinct odor (of strawberries, but still) - doodled little figures of him and Gabe all over Gabe’s notes. Wearing superhero outfits and defeating, as William described it, evil nerds who like math. 

Whatever, right? But something about it really rubbed Gabe the wrong way. Like, he couldn’t focus on anything after and William’s sneaky smiles ran around his head like they were trying to win an endless marathon. 

He tries to tell his friends that. “William is very inconsiderate and, honestly, I don’t think he’s as polite as everyone makes him out to be!”

Vicky-T thumps him lightly with her backpack. “Gabe,” she smiles, “Gabe, you giant lovestruck idiot.”

William walks by and waves and it’s weird, Gabe never realized how slippery the floor was before. The janitors must be on strike or something. 

He’s halfway down, resigned to his fate, - which obviously had to involve constantly falling on his face in front of everyone he knows -, when a warm hand pulls him up. Next thing he knows, he’s in William Beckett’s arms while William peers concernedly at him. 

“Are you OK?”

Gabe nods. He definitely doesn’t notice how beautiful William’s eyes are. Does not think, even for a second, that William looks very cute when he’s worried.

“Yeah,” he mumbles. 

William smiles slightly before letting go of him. “Gotta go to class. See you at lunch!” 

Gabe blinks. “Thanks!” he calls awkwardly, about a minute later. 

Somehow, William hears and shoots him a grin and a thumbs up. 

Vicky-T beams, clapping excitedly. “He loves you too!”

Fuck. Now all he’ll be able to think about the rest of the day is how warm William felt against him. 

“So fucking inconsiderate,” he tells Vicky-T, shaking his head. 

 

 

Gabe, as he’s clarified a hundred thousand times to anyone who’d listen, is not in love with William. Nope. Not even a little. 

Which is why it’s a little weird that he keeps getting lost in William’s eyes. 

Well. Lost is a strong word. It’s more like any time William makes eye contact with him, he just wants to stare into his eyes and drown to death in them. 

He appreciates pretty eyes, okay. That’s all. And, since he’s not in love with William, he is definitely comfortable admitting William’s eyes are pretty. Because they are.

So when William pulls him aside after lunch, Gabe is not worried at all. He’s Mr. Cool, actually. Almost overdosed on chill pills, that’s how OK he is.

“Gabe, hey -,”

“I’m not in love with you!” Gabe blurts out.

William’s eyes widen a little. “What?”

“Okay, look. Do I think about you constantly? Yes. Are you always on my mind? Yeah, definitely. Do I find myself constantly wanting to impress you? Absolutely. Have I ever about you naked while I’m also naked? _Who hasn’t_? Am I always staring at you a lot? Of course, but only because your eyes are so pretty! Clearly - clearly, I am not in love with you.”

“I’m - what? Gabe, I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to study for the calculus test together.” William looks adorably confused, cocking his head to one side. 

Gabe takes a deep breath and feels the ground slip away again. William tries to grab onto him but, somehow, they both end up tangled in the grass. 

“Look,” Gabe says, as neither of them makes an attempt to get up. “Look, I think the important thing to remember here is I am not in love with you.”

William frowns. “OK,” he says quietly. He starts to get up, but Gabe, in a moment of weakness, grabs William’s hand. And maybe kisses him too. 

William kisses back. His mouth tastes a little like chapstick but his lips are so soft. William’s eyes are still closed when they pull apart. 

There’s a shadow of a smile on his face.

“Um,” Gabe says, thinking this maybe compromises him not being in love with William. 

“Yeah,” William mumbles, his eyes fluttering open. He sounds dazed and far away. “I didn’t - I mean. I didn’t dream about that every day. Or like. Think about you. All the time.”

“Neither did I,” Gabe tells him, smiling a little in spite of himself. “And if I did, it was your fault. Running around my head all the time.”

“My fault,” William echoes. He leans over and kisses Gabe again. 

Yeah, OK. Fuck it. 

He’s totally in love with William Beckett. 

 


End file.
